As a Board-Certified Internist, my primary focus is not just on managing illness but on preventing it. Traditional medicine often takes a reactive approach, addressing diseases once they manifest. At Curated Care, we shift the focus upstream—emphasizing prevention and proactive measures to optimize health. One of the most impactful ways to do this is through regular health screenings.
While general screening guidelines are a useful starting point, it’s essential to remember that every patient is unique. Factors like family history, lifestyle, and overall health can mean you may need to start screenings earlier or adopt more frequent monitoring. Let’s explore some essential screening tests and introduce innovative tools that can provide additional insights to improve your health trajectory.
Standard Screening Tests and When to Start
Preventive screenings can help detect issues before symptoms arise, giving you a chance to address potential health risks early. Here are some of the key screening tests to consider:
- Mammograms: Typically recommended for women starting at age 40, mammograms are crucial for the early detection of breast cancer. However, if you have a family history of breast cancer or carry certain genetic markers (like BRCA mutations), earlier screening may be necessary.
- PAP Smear: Starting at age 21, women should have a PAP smear every three years to screen for cervical cancer. From age 30, HPV testing may be combined with the PAP smear and extended to every five years if results are normal. Personalizing the frequency and starting age for screening is key, especially for women with a history of HPV, smoking, or immunosuppressive conditions.
- Colonoscopy: For most adults, colon cancer screening begins at age 45. However, if you have a family history of colon cancer, inflammatory bowel disease, or other risk factors, it may be wise to begin earlier. Colonoscopies remain the gold standard, but newer, non-invasive stool-based tests may also be considered for lower-risk patients.
- PSA (Prostate-Specific Antigen): PSA testing is typically recommended for men over 50 to screen for prostate cancer, but men at higher risk, including African-American men and those with a family history, may need to begin as early as 40. A personalized conversation with your physician can determine the best approach for your specific risk profile.
Why Personalization Matters
While these standard guidelines offer a general framework, the truth is that healthcare isn’t one-size-fits-all. Family history, lifestyle factors, and even individual medical conditions can significantly impact when and how often you should be screened. At Curated Care, we take the time to assess your unique situation, tailoring a screening plan that reflects your specific needs.
For example, if you have a family history of colon cancer or have been exposed to certain toxins, it might be necessary to start colonoscopies before age 45. Similarly, women with a higher risk of breast cancer may benefit from both earlier and more frequent mammograms or even breast MRIs.
Innovative Tools to Further Optimize Your Health
In addition to traditional screenings, advanced diagnostics can offer deeper insights into your overall health. While these tools may not be part of routine care, they can be incredibly valuable for those looking to take a more proactive approach to prevention:
- Advanced Body Composition Analysis: This test goes beyond simple body mass index (BMI) measurements to offer a more detailed picture of muscle, fat, and bone mass. Knowing this can help tailor your fitness and nutrition plan, optimize metabolism, and reduce disease risk.
- Grail Liquid Biopsies: Grail’s liquid biopsy is an innovative blood test that can detect multiple types of cancer in their early stages, even before symptoms appear. This test is particularly beneficial for individuals at higher risk of cancer who want to take an aggressive approach to prevention.
- Cardiac Calcium Scores: This non-invasive CT scan measures the amount of calcium in the arteries, offering a predictive look at your risk of heart disease. Even if you have normal cholesterol levels, a high calcium score may indicate that you are at risk for a heart attack or stroke. This screening can be an early wake-up call to implement lifestyle changes.
- Whole-Body MRI: For those looking to get a comprehensive snapshot of their internal health, a whole-body MRI can detect abnormalities in organs, soft tissues, and even bones. While not a replacement for regular screenings, this tool can provide a broad view of your overall health and uncover potential issues before they become symptomatic.
Taking Charge of Your Health
At Curated Care, we view screenings not just as a way to catch disease early but as a tool for actively changing the trajectory of your health. Whether you’re focused on early cancer detection, reducing your risk of cardiovascular disease, or simply staying one step ahead of health issues, proactive and personalized screenings are essential.
The combination of traditional tests like mammograms, PAP smears, colonoscopies, and PSA screenings, along with advanced tools like liquid biopsies and body composition analyses, gives us the power to optimize health in ways that weren’t possible a few years ago.
If you haven’t already, now is the time to schedule a consultation to review your personal risk factors and develop a screening plan that works for you. Let’s move beyond sick care and start focusing on prevention—because your health deserves nothing less.